Electric motor-vehicle.



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I ELECTRIC moron VEHICLE. APPLIOATIOI FILED JULY 13, 1910. 1,01 7, 1 98. I Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

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E. W. BENDER. ELECTRIC MOTOB'YBHIOLE'.

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. Patented Feb. 13,1912.

E. w. BENDBR. v BLEOTBIG MOTOR VEHICLE. APPLIOATIOI rILnn JULY 13, 1910. I

' Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

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E. w. BENDER. ELECTRIC MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1910.

Patented Feb. 13,1912.

Jade/1732:) ,xwmzzd n E. W. BENDER. ELEOTB IO moron VEHICLE. 1 7 98. APPLIOATIOI ITILED JUL! 1;, i910. Patented Feb. 13, .1912

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ELMORE W. BENDER, 0]? LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ELEoTEIo Mororevnnronn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedFeb. 13,1912.

Application filed July 13, 1910. Serial No. 571,703.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELMORE W. BENDER a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Motor- Vehicles, of which the following is a specification. I i

This invention relates to improvements in motor vehicles propelled by electric power derived from a storage battery or other accumulator Source carried by the vehicle.

The invention relates more/particularly to a motor vehicle with a charging plant by means of which the storage batteries may be charged with energy obtained from an alternating electrical system. Ordinarily direct current must be obtained from some electric source in order to charge the storage battery carried by an electric motor vehicle. Direct current is usually difiicult to obtain, alternating current being much more prevalent than direct for lighting and small power purposes; or, if direct current is obtainable,

it. is usually at a high voltage and not suit able for battery charging. By equipping a machine with a rectifying mechanism, it is possible to charge the batteries by the initial use of alternating current or high potential current. In practice, these converters are best supplied by motor-generators, that is, mechanisms which will either act as a mo-- tor or as a generator. It is necessary that the direct current converter be both a motor and av generator; it is only necessary that the alternating current converter be a motor. The direct current motor generator is "adapted to be electrically connected through a pair of controllers to the storage battery carried by the vehicle. It is mechanically connected to a running gear of the .vehicle for purposes of propulsion, and it is also mechanically connected to the alternating current motor.

Within a machine of the above broad description, my invention consists particularly in the method of control of the battery-and direct current motor-generator. The batteries are arranged in a'suitable number of sections, each division furnishing the same voltage as any other division. A battery controller is arranged to connect thebattery sections in several different manners, so that the voltage supplied to the motor generator may meter.

open.

be varied at will, thus controlling the:

speed and power of the motor. The motor controller is arranged to make different arrangements of the windings within the motor-generator. The fieldcoils may be connected in parallel, series parallel, or series with each other and either partly or wholly in series or parallel with the armature These varying. connections provide for using the motor generator as a series motor in either direction of rotation, or as a shunt or compound motor or generator. Different positions and corresponding connections for the diflerent arrangements will be explained more fully in the following specification.

A set 'ofindicat-ing instruments are provided,.including a volt meter and an am- Both instruments are attached at suitable points in the circuit, the voltmeter registering the voltage of the batteries and the ammeter registerin the amount of circuit delivered to or ta en from the motor generator. A magnetic circuit breaker of peculiar design is also connected in the maincircuit between the batteries and the motor generator. This circuit breaker is provided with two windings, one fine and one coarse... The -fine winding is designed. to carry a shunted circuit around the breaking point and to consequently form a magnetic field at all times when the exterior controllers are in position to close the circuit. The magnet- ,ismof this shunt field is never sufiicient to break the main circuit, a series winding being used for that purpose. However, when the circuit has been broken, the shunt field is of suflicient strength and will hold the gap In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1' is a plan view of the chassis of a motor vehicle equipped with-my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of a motor vehicle equipped with my invention. Fig.

3 1s a view of a portion'of the dash showtrollers for different pbsitions'of the. controllers.

Inthe drawings '5 designates the frame I unit 13. Ihis unit is made up of a direct of an auto-vehicle mounted, through the i medium of springs 6, on axles 7 carried by current motor-generator 1 1- and an alternating current motor 15 mounted on the same shaft 16*. The stationary portions or both machines are held in a single frame 16 and both armatures are mounted between a single set of bearings, making the whole device a single unit. (In the upper part of this unit are mounted -the-two controllers, controller 20 for the batteries and controller 21 for the direct current motor generator.

These controllers are both constructed with a casing frame'22 carrying a numberof.

brush members 28 comprising. spring supported brushes 24 which engage with contact 1 strips 25 mounted in moving element 26 of the controller. Certain of the contact strips 25 opposite each other are connected through element 26 by studs-27, shown in Fig. 5 and indicated in Fig. fl. 'Element26 has a" movement of reciprocation in both controllers, this movement bringing diiierent contact strips into engagement with the brushes and thereby forming different connectionsof the batteries and motor. Bat- .tery controller 20 also has a contact 28 adapted to engage with strips 29 set on the upper edgeofelements 26. Motor controller I 21 may be manipulated in any approved manner; but battery controller'20 is preferably manipulated through the medium ofa foot pedal 30 having notches 31 for engage-J mentwith a piece 32, by which arrangementthe movable member 26--'is prevented from being moved toward the operator by springs 33 except when the operator desires such,

movement and raises the pedal; There are four working positions of each of the mov able members of the controllers, as will be as fully explained hereafter. I

In the first of the f ur' positions .for the battery controller 20, the circuit to'the motor is open and the battery-35 is connected. so that its 'four divisions 35, 35*, 35, and 35' are connected in multiple-with each other., This'provides that; any inequalities in the battery voltage shall be equalized during the periods of rest of'the' battery. In the sec-- end position the connections of the battery remain. the same fasin the first posltion and I J x ler. tions, just as the battery .has four working positions.

the circuit to the motor through the motor controller 21 is closed. This supplies the motor with the minimum voltage-that is, the voltage of one section of the battery; while it equally discharges all sections of the battery. In the third position of the battery controller, the sections are connected in series in pairs and each of the series connected pairs is connected to the other in multiple. In the fourth position of the controller the motor is connected to three of the sections of the battery, connected in series. This gives the next step in voltage. In the fifth position the motor is connected to the whole battery which is connected in series, delivering the-maximum voltage.

The direct current motor generator is provided typically with six field poles 'and windings 13 13 13, 13, 13 and 13. The terminals of each of these field windings are led independently to motor controller 21.: -The wires leading from armature 13 -are also directly connected to the motor-control- The motor controller has four posi- In its first position the motorgenerator is connected'in serles to run in a and all field coils are connected in series each other. The second position entirely disconnects the battery circuit from the motor-generator and also entirely disconnects each of the field coils and the armature from each other. The thirdposition'of themotor forward direction as a motor-that is, to drive the vehicle forw ardly.'- The armature with each other and with the batteries, the 'field coils being connected in multiple with controller is the position in which the battery"may run the motor or the: generator maychargethe battery, according to which of, thetwo raises the higher *voltage. In this position of the controller the motor generator is connected in shunt, .the field and annat'ure' being connected in multiple with each other and the singlefiel d coils 'connected inseries with each other. .In this arrangement the battery v is f connected to the.

armatur'e'so that thejmotor will befrlriven in a forward direction if the battery voltage .issut'ficientlyhigh and so that the machine 'will act as a generator and charge the batteries if'its voltage ishigher than that of the batteries. This. arrangement is very advantageous when the VQhlcle. is traveling.

up anddown grade, the machine immediately beginning 'to charge 'thejbattery ion as in 'osition '1 of. the controller, with the excephonsthat the connections are made sothat'the motor will rotate backward to drive the vehicle rearwardly. In this ,p'osition the'field andarmature and batteryare' whenever-the vehicle runs down af grad sufliciently steep todrive the motor. In the fourth, pOsition-of'the motor controller,- t h e? motor is connected in series in the same fash-' all connected in series, but'the individual. field coils are connected in parallel with each other.

The connections of the battery will first be followed out in detail, the description of the motor connections follow. The battery is divided into four sections 35, 35 35 and 35. From the terminals of these sections wires 40*, 40', 40 and 40 and wires 40 4O, 40 and 40 lead to controller 20. A singlewire 42 leads from wire 41 and thence-from battery section 35*, through cir-. cuit breaker 43 and connects with motor controller 21. Wires 40 40 connect with brushes 24 24 respectively, brushes 24 24 being on the-opposite side of the battery cont-roller from brushes 24 to 24 (in the drawings the views of the brushes on opposite sides of the controller and of theopposite sides of the sliding contact element are taken as viewed from the respective sides, so that the brushes which are opposite each other in the actual construction are on opposite ends of the views). Wires 40 to 40 also connect to brushes 2424 on the same side of the controller as brushes 24 24 Wires v40 40 also connect to brushes 24 24 on the same side of the controller as brushes 24 24 Sliding cont-act element, 26 carries four contact plates and strips on each side, contacts 25 to 25 being on the side of the element which engages with brushes 24*-24 and 2424 and contacts 25 25 being on the side of the member which engages with brushes 24 h and 24"24'. On the up-. per edge of sliding contact element 26 are mounted four contact strips 29 to 29 which are connected by wires 44 to the contact strips on the opposite sides of the sliding element. Certain of the contact. strips on opposite sides of the sliding contact element are connected together through the element by means of studs 27.

In the first position of the contact slide, the slide is in such relation to the brushes thatthe position indicated 1 on the slideis directlyunder the center of brushes 24 In this position brushes 24 24 will all be in contact with strip 25 and brushes 24 24 will all be in contact with st-rip'25. As the wires lead- 1 ing from the poles of the battery sections are connected to these brushes, all the like poles of the battery will be connected together. In this first position, contact 28 does not engage with any of the contact strips,

29 to 29 and no current flows in the ex ternal' circuit. The batteries are merely connected together in multiple to equalize any potential difierences that may exist be-' tween them. In the second position, the batteries are all connected inthe same manner, as the brushes named still engage with the same contact'strips, but the movement brush 24 and contact plate 25", whence it flows through brushes 24"24 and wires 4O 4O to the other side of the batteries. This arrangement delivers to the main lines, 42 and 45, avoltage equal to that of a single section of battery.

When the slide is moved to its third position, brushes 24 and 24 still engage with contact plate 25, and brushes 24 and 24' still engage with contact plate 25"; Brushes 24 and 24 engage with contact strips 25 and 25 and brushes 24 and 24 engage with contact strips 25 and 25*. The battery is then connected in tWo divisions in multiple, each division comprising two sections in series. One of the sides, say the positive, of sections 35 and 35 are connected to contacts 24 and 24 which are connected together through contact plate 25. The negative sides of sections 35 and 35 are connected-to brushes 24 and 24 which are in engagement with contact strips 25 and 25*.

The positive sides of sections 35 and 35 are connected through brushes 24 and 24 to contact strips 25 and 25 Contact strips 25 and 25 are connected through the slide to contact strips 25% and 25 and thence to the negative poles of battery sections 35 and 35 The negative poles of battery sections 35 and 35 are connected through wires 40 and 40 to brushes" 24 and 24 which are in contact with contact plate 25*. From contact plate 25 the current flows through brush 24 and wire 40* to wire 42, and from contact plate 25 the current flows through contact 29 and contact 28 to wire 45.

In the fourth position ofthe slide, brushes 7 24, 24 and 24 engage with contact strips 25, 25 and 25 respectively. Brush 24 engages with contact plate 25*. Brushes 24, 245 and 24 engage with contact strips 25 25 and 25 respectively, while brush 24 is entirely unengaged. Contact 28 engages with contact 29. From this contact the path of the current is as follows: through wire 44 from contact 29 to contact strip 25 through a strip 25*, connection 27, and contact strip,

contact plate 25, brush 24 wire 40, battery section wire brush 24, contact 25, whence the remainder ofthe circuit is the same as that above described forthe fourth position of the slide. In the fifth position it will be seen that the four sections of the battery are connected in series.

By placing the slide in its five different positions, four difi'erent voltages may be delivered to wires 42 and 45, the difi'erent connections as hereinbefore described being thus accomplished.

The connections through the motor controller 21 will now be described for its four difierent positions. In the diagrammatic view of this controller the different POSl-f tions are indicated by position figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, the places indicated by the figures on the slide registering with the position line shown near the contacts.

In the first position the current flows through brush .60 from. wire 45, contact 61, connection 27, cont-act 62, brush 63, wire 64, armature 13 wire 66, brush 67, contact 68, wire 69, contacts 70 and 71, brushes 72, 73, 74, 75, 76 and 77 wires 7 8 7 8 field coils 13-'13F, wires 79-79, brushes 8080, contacts 81 and 82, wire 83, contact 84, brush 85, to wire 42. Vfiththis system of connection the armature is placed in series with the field coils, while the field coils are individually connected in multiple.

In the second period of the slide, the contact pieces thereon are entirely out of engagement with the brushes so that the motor-generator is not only disconnected from the battery but its individual field coils are disconnected from each other and from the armature. I I

- In'the third position of the slide the current flows as follows; from wire 45 through brush 60 to cont-act 90, connection27, contact. .91, where the circuit branches, one branch leading through brush 63, wire 64,

armature 13 wire 66, brush 67, contact 92, I

wire 93, contact 94, the otherbranch lead- I ing through wire 95, to contact96', brush- 74,

wire 78, field coil 13 wire 7 9, brush 80 contact 97 fconnection 27, contact 98, brush .80",'contact 99, connection 27 contact-100',

brush 75, wire78, fieldcoil13, wire 79 brush contact 101 ,connection 27, contact 2102, brush 76, wire 7 8, field coil13, wire 79 brush 80", contact 103, connection 27, contact 104, brush 7 7 ,wire 78', field coil 13?,

wire 7 9*, brush. 80', contact 105, connection 27, contact 106, brush'7 2, wire 7 8, field coil 13, wire 79, brush 80 to contact 94; at

contact 94 the armature and field circuits again join and pass through 'wire 107 to contact 108 to brush andth'enoe to wire '42. In this connection the armatureand field coils are connected in shunt relation,

all the individual field coils are connected together in series. This provides for a shunt generator or motor, capable of either driving the vehicle forwardly orof charging the batteries when the vehicle drives the motor-generator forwardly." As before explained, this systeni of connection is extremely desirable for charging the batteries, a'shunt wound generator providing a current of even voltage under varying external resistances. Whentraveling down grade, the motor controller may be thrown to this third position and the speed of the vehicle will be prevented from rising above a certain value. Should the speed tend to become greater, the current generated .by the motor generator becomes larger and theresistance to the forward movement of the vehicle is thereby automatically increased. The energy of this resistance being returned to the battery, it is often possible to re- -charge the battery to a marked extent, thus greatly increasing the mileage of a single battery charge. Furthermore, the retarding force is applied in such a manner that there are practically no wearing parts, obviating the necessity of replacing such parts I as brake drums and bands.

In the fourth position of the slide, the current flows from wire 45, through brush 60, contact 61*, connection 27, contact 92*, brush 67, wire 66, armature 13 wire 64, brush 63, contact 91 wire 69, contacts 68 and 70, brushes 72, 73, 74, 75, 76and 77, eld coils 13 -13, wires 79 79 brushes 80'*,80, contacts 82 and 108, wire 83, contact 84 and brush 85 to wire 42. In this connection the armature and field coils are connected in series with each other, the field coils being connected together in multiple, but the direction of current flow in the armature is reversed in the fourth position in relation to the flow in the first position of the controller. This provides. for the reverse operation of the motor' to move the machine rearwardly. To

place the controller in the position it is necessary topass through the intermediate positions in which the current is first shut from the motor and the motor is then connected,to act as a generator and to be slowed down preparatory to reversing. When the reversing current is thrown into the motor, the motor has been slowed down '50 asto act quickly in the reverse direction.

In Figs. 7 to 10 I have illustrated in simple manner. the various connections caused by the various positions of the controllers above described. In- Fig. 7 I have shown the connections of the battery con troller in its'second position and the motor controller in its first position. In Fig. 8 I have shown the'connections of the battery controller in its third position and the motor controller in its second position. In Fig.

9 the connections are shown for the battery controller in the fourth position and the motor controller in the third position; while in Fig. 10 the battery controller is diagrammed as in its fifth position while the motor con troller shows in its fourth position. The first position of the battery controller is not shown, as the connections in that position are thought plainly understood'from the other drawings and the specification. From these figures the circuits previously traced out may be easily followed. It will be seen that there are some superfluous wires and connections for some of the positions of the controller, these superfluous connections duplicating other connections and being ignored. Thus, in Fig. 8 it will be seen that wire 40 connecting contact 24 with contact 24 is duplicated by the-dotted connection shown through the controller. The current will naturally flow through both of these connections; but for purposes of simplicity only-the controller connections are followed. By the aid of these diagrams the connection scheme is great-1y simplified; and this is especially so for positions one and four of the motor controller. In position two of the motor controller there is no connection whatever between any of the contacts, the motor being entirely disconnected from the battery circuit and the different windings of the motor being disconnected from each other.

I have shown an indicating instrument 150 to be mounted on the dash of the machine and to be connected in the main 'circuit between wires 42 and 45 for indicating both the voltage and the amperage of the current flowing. This instrument may be of ordinary construction and connected in the usual manner.

' In wire 42 I have shown a cirucit breaker 43 adapted to break the circuit on an overload. This circuit breaker is provided with two windings, a coarse winding 151 and a fine winding 152. As shown in Fig. 4' the coarse winding forms a part of the main circuit in series as a shunt around the break and therefore exerts its magnetism regardless of whether the break is open or closed. If an overload should occur, the action of the coarse winding will break the circuit, the action of the fine winding not being sufliciently strong to break the circuit. This action is accomplished by the mechanism shown in Fig. 6. Two armaturecores 1-53 are adapted to be drawn inwardly by the magnetism of the coils. To these cores are attached pivoted arms 154, so arranged that springs tend to throw their upper ends together and pull cores 153 apart. On the upper-end of arms 154 are mounted springs 155 which carry copper and carbon-contacts 156 and 15,7.

with the I break, while the fine winding is connected The arrangement is such that the carbon contacts touch first and break last, taking the are off the copper contacts. When pulled close together-the magnetism of the fine coil is sufficient to hold them in that'position. Thus the breaker will remainopen until the circuit is opened at some other place in the line, or giving opportunity for ,the removal of the cause of overload.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention consists mainly in the provision of a means for charging an electric vehicle with the current which is ordinarily at hand. The provision of this means in volves a number of other devices and mechanisms for the control of thev devices used. The sliding controllers connect the batteries and motor-generator mechanism in the various manners necessary for the different conditions of operation.

The alternating current motor shown in the drawings may be either of the synchronous type or the induction type. On the dash of the machine a switch 160 is located" and a cord connection 161 is provided to connect with the terminals of the switch. This cord connection may be of any desired length and have on its other end a connection plug or other device for connecting with various sorts of alternating current terminals. In the present case I have shown a two phase motor, as a motor of this class is more conveniently started than. a single phase machine. The motor can be operated on a single phase current if necessary, the starting being accomplished either by hand or by means of direct current from the batteries turned into the direct current motor.

I have shown a fan 2 mounted on the forward end of the motor shaft for the purpose of cooling the motor and, mainly, the batteries while charging. In this manner I eliminate one of the undesirable features of chargingallowing the batteries to be charged in much less time than formerly.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with a -motor-generator having field and armature coils, and a storage battery, a controller for and connected tothe storage battery, and a motorgeneratorcontroller connected to the battery and battery controller and connected to the field and armature windings of the motor'- generator and adapted to connect said rwindings together in series or multiple relation.

2. In combination with a motor-generator having field and armature coils, and a storage battery arranged in sections of equal 12 voltage, a controller for the storage battery and connected thereto to connect the said sections in series, multiple or series-multiple relation, and a motor generator 'controller connected to the battery and battery controller and connected to the field and armature windings of the motor-generator relatively movable connecting members,

connections between the field and armature coils and some of the stationary contacts,

, and connections between other of the stationary contacts and'the battery and battery controller.

l. in combination with a motor-generator having field and armature coils, and a storage battery, a controller for the motorgenerator and comprising a set of stationcont-acts, connections between the contacts and the field and armature coils of.

the motor-generator, a movable member "carrying contact members adapted to engage with and connect various of stationary contacts in such manners as to connect thefield and armature COIlS together in series or multiple relation, and connections between the motor-generator controller and the storage battery.

5. In combination with a motor-generator having field and armature coils, anda storage battery, a controllerforthe motorgenerator and comprising a set of stationary brushes and movable contacts adapted to connect certain of the brushes together,

connections between certainofthe brushes and the individual field and armature coils of the'motor-generator, and connections between others of the brushes and the storage battery, the movable contacts being so arranged with relation to the brushes and their connections to said fieldand armature coils. that indifferent positions of the contacts the field and armature coils are connected in series and in parallel.

6. A controller system for a motor-generator having field and armature coils, comprising a set of stationary brushes, connections between the field and armature coils and certain of the brushes, ,a relatively movable contact carrying member having contacts thereon adapted in one position of the contact carrying member to engage withthe field coil connected brushes so as to connect the field coils in multiple "and to engage with the armature connected brushes to connect the multiple field coils in series with the armature, and in another position to engage with the field coil connected brushes to connect the field coils in series and to engage with the armature connected brushes to connect the series field coils in parallel with the armature coil.

7. A controller system for a motor-generator having field and armature coils, comprising a set of stationary brushes, connections between the field and armature coils and certain of the brushes, a relatively movable contact carrying member having contacts thereon adapted inone' position of the contact carrying member to engage with the field coil connected brushes so as to connect the fieldcoils in multiple and to engage with the armature connected brushes to connect the multiple coils in series with the armature, and in another position to engage with the field coil connected brushes to connect the field coils in series and to engage with the armature connected brushes to connect the series field coils in parallel with the armature coil, and in a third position to engage the field coil connected brushes to connect the field coils in multiple and to" enlgage the armature connected brushes-to connect the field and armature coils in series but in mode of connection opposite to the first series connection.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 7th day of J uly- 191.0.

ELMORE w. BENDER.

I Witnesses:

JAMES T. BARKELEW 'ELUTN-D H. BARKELEW, 

